Quote by Albert Camus
But what are a hundred million deaths? When one has served in a war, one hardly knows what a dead man is, after a while. And since a dead man has no substance unless one has actually seen him dead, a hundred million corpses broadcast through history are no more than a puff of smoke in the imagination.
Summary
This quote highlights the desensitization and detachment that can occur in individuals who have experienced war. It suggests that being witness to the horrors of war numbs one to the significance of death, making it difficult to truly comprehend the magnitude of mass casualties. The statement implies that unless one has personally seen a dead body, the countless deaths reported in history become abstract, intangible, and insignificant, merely fading memories or figments of the imagination.
By Albert Camus
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